I’ve been wanting to try this for some time. This is an NAS Nadurra release that was matured in first fill bourbon casks and then finished in casks which previously held heavily peated whisky.

This is an interesting way to get a light smoky profile without actually using any peated malt in the distillation process.The idea is to produce a whisky similar to the original Glenlivet malt from the 19th century (many distilleries seem to be doing this lately), which would be slightly peaty.

I’ve tried an Old Pulteney before that did something similar and thought it might work well with the Glenlivet profile.

Aged 3 years*. 61.5%ABV. Matured in first fill bourbon casks and finished in peated whisky casks. No colourant added, non-chill filtered and bottled at cask strength.

*for lack of age statement

Nose: Tropical fruit up front, coconut (more the flavouring that the actual fruit), banana (the fruit). Peanuts. Green apples and pears, Glenlivet signature. Light toffee. Lemon. Orange Peel. Very very faint smoke note, kind of blended into the orange peel note. Latte. With water the lemon and woodsmoke notes become quite prominent.

Palate: Thick. Bitter wood. Woodsmoke. Dried apple. Fruit leather. Milk chocolate.With water this really opens up a lot more. Still bitter, but far more citrus. Richer milk chocolate. Golden syrup. Char. Burned sugar.

Finish: Medium-long. Dry apple. Bit of a highland peat note. Honey. Raw peanuts. Milk chocolate. Bitter citrus.

Would I buy this: No

Would I order this in a bar: Yes

Would I drink this if someone gave me a glass: Yes

VFM: 2/5

This was quite nice. Good level of complexity, and a little water really opened it up. I did find the ‘peat’ a little under represented here. There was also a bitter note on the palate that felt a little off. Not bad though, maybe not worth buying, but definitely worth giving a try.